Viewpoints - Marblehead Current

29Nov

By Evans SlepianNo Comments

Columns, Environment, Opinion, Viewpoints

The power in our hands: Direct climate action through curbside composting

These days, I often feel powerless. In the face of accelerating climate change, apathy curls protectively around me. Confronting ever more climate crises, it is emotionally safer to check out. It is easier to shirk responsibility onto some collective other; to convince myself that I am as powerless as I feel to change things. Yet there is no catharsis in this. The forces behind our conundrum are as far outside our control as the tides, but I feel increasingly moved to take hold of what I can. I volunteer for causes I believe in, try to build community in town and live my values beyond lip service. In service of the latter, I am shrugging off the apathy of inaction. I am composting. It is a small change, and unexpectedly easy. When I cook, my scraps go into a small, lined and covered...

22Nov

By Lizzie Assa, parenting strategistNo Comments

Columns, Community resources, Health, Life Style, Local News, Viewpoints

ASK LIZZIE: Making trips to the pediatrician a little less stressful

Dear Lizzie, I'm often at the pediatrician's with my kids, and the waiting room has become a test of patience. Can you suggest ways to make the wait less tedious? Dear reader, With the arrival of the cooler months, many of us are spending a lot of time in the pediatrician's waiting room. While this can be a challenging space for keeping little ones contained and entertained, I've gathered some tips to help make your visits less daunting. Involve your kids in preparing for the trip to the pediatrician. Say, “We might have to wait for a bit while we are at the doctor’s office today. Waiting can be so hard, even for the grownups! Last time you brought your favorite coloring book and that really helped. Do you have any ideas for this time?” Involving your kids in comi...

17Nov

By Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe editor at largeNo Comments

Columns, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories, Viewpoints

‘THE WATCHDOG IS AWAKENING’

Nonprofit news has made it possible for millions of people to once again have the information they need to make informed decisions, a return to the journalism that holds power to account. For many of us, nonprofit journalism is the antidote for our collective malaise. For two decades now, we’ve looked on in disbelief, and often averted our eyes, as the vigorous journalism we had been accustomed to withered away. Walter V. Robinson, Boston Gloe editor at large Over the last several years, this existential threat to the roots of our democracy has become ever more dispiriting. Often, it seems, we are a nation where people seek the affirmation they crave rather than the information they need. Much of the country has been fixated on whether we can trust the news we read and watch. ...

MARBLEHEAD CARES: Shower the people you love with love (and those you don’t)

16Nov

By Susan Stelk and Joanne MillerNo Comments

Columns, Health, Opinion, Viewpoints

MARBLEHEAD CARES: Shower the people you love with love (and those you don’t)

Lots of things come to mind when we think about Thanksgiving. We might think about turkey, stuffing, turkeys crossing Pleasant Street, football, turkey trots, powder puff football, pumpkin pie or family gatherings. Traditionally, Thanksgiving invites each of us to consider the things we feel grateful for in our lives. As our world feels so rife with struggle, violence and painful conflict, it can be a welcome pause to reflect instead on gratitude. As a concept, it seems easy enough to think about, but as an expression, giving thanks unfortunately appears to be losing its value. There is evidence that when we concentrate on things that we appreciate and feel grateful for, our serotonin and dopamine levels increase. These chemicals in our brain control some of the moods that we experi...

8Nov

By Lizzie Assa, parenting strategistNo Comments

Community resources, Life Style, Local History, Viewpoints

ASK LIZZIE: Teaching your child ‘self-kindness’

The Current is proud to partner with columnist Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace for Children, a parenting strategist, play expert and mother of three who lives in Marblehead. Dear Lizzie: Although I don't think this was my parents' intention, I walked away from my childhood more self-critical than I'd like. How do I flip this and encourage MY kids to see more of the good about themselves? Hi reader, As parents, we combine the resources we have with our individual experiences. Our parents did their best with the means they had. I applaud you for actively seeking new tools and reflecting on your own experiences. Parenting strategist Lizzie Assa The counterbalance to being self-critical is practicing self-kindness. Instead of trying to remove the self-doubts that chil...

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: I was tired, now I’m inspired

8Nov

By Virginia BuckinghamNo Comments

Columns, Opinion, Viewpoints, Virginia Buckingham

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: I was tired, now I’m inspired

When was the last time you felt inspired? Not momentarily, like when you watch a video or read a story that gives you a temporary morale boost, but inspired deeply, in your gut, in a way that you know will impact you for a long time to come. Virginia Buckingham. Given that the news coming from all corners is so dispiriting, I wish there was some way to bottle pills of long-lasting inspiration so we could all take a dose when we need it. We sure have needed it lately. Daily tragedies have been making me feel tired and sad. Scrolling through my phone and watching the evening news gives me the urge to curl up in a cave and emerge sometime next spring, like a bear. Then I went to Dallas. The George W. Bush Presidential Center hosted an alumni reunion last week of a program call...

18Oct

By The Current Editorial BoardNo Comments

Current Editorials, Opinion, Viewpoints

EDITORIAL: Don’t curb this enthusiasm

What do the following people have in common: a filmmaker who has won awards for his works about cycling, a 42-year veteran of the State Police force, a decades-long owner of local bike shops, a Ph.D. recipient who wrote a thesis and multiple book chapters on automobile safety, and an engineer turned science journalist turned high school math teacher? The answer: There was no room for any of them on the new Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, on which the Select Board filled the three available public seats Oct. 11. It is not uncommon when there are more candidates than seats for an appointment for Select Board members to wring their hands about their difficult choice. Maybe in some cases, that’s performative, but in this case, the board members’ angst was hard earned. Without fail, e...

Select Board chair to School Committee: Honor committments re: Coffin School

9Oct

By Erin Noonan, Select Board chairNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Viewpoints

Select Board chair to School Committee: Honor committments re: Coffin School

Dear members of the School Committee, I am writing to address a few concerning statements made during your last meeting and in conversation with Chair Sarah Fox regarding the former Coffin School. I would like to share information about the town’s potential uses for the property, correct misinformation that has been shared and remind you of the commitment and representations made by school officials and volunteers on behalf of the School Department in securing the funding for the construction of the Brown elementary school. Select Board Chair Erin Noonan Town needs and potential future use As you may be aware, the town has developed a strategic Housing Production Plan to address the lack of diverse housing options in town as well as to increase our affordable housing units.&nb...

Marblehead Cares: Why public mental health matters

14Sep

By Thomas A. Massaro, MD PhDNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Viewpoints

Marblehead Cares: Why public mental health matters

If asked to make a list of the positive outcomes from the COVID pandemic, many of us would probably scratch our heads and would have to think a bit. Our lists would tend to be quite small. Perhaps, however, one item would be on a few of those lists: The pandemic has brought increased and more thoughtful attention to the task of improving the collective mental health of our community. The sense of isolation and separation generated by the pandemic has been widespread and profound enough to encourage a broader discussion of this issue, which, historically, has been either ignored or awkwardly addressed. The Marblehead Mental Health Task Force (MMHTF) which develops these columns for the Marblehead Current has been established to add value and bolster mental health in our community.&nbs...

13Sep

By The Current Editorial Board1 Comment

Current Editorials, Viewpoints

Editorial: Optimism on local news funding, with a caveat

Far be it from us to suggest that recent headlines that portend an infusion of investment in local journalism is anything but a good thing for America. However, in terms of what it means for the Current, forgive us if our optimism is a bit more guarded. The big news was the launch on Sept. 7 of a nationwide initiative known as Press Forward, which plans to award more than $500 million to revitalize local news, beginning in 2024. Press Forward is a coalition of 22 donors, including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which announced that it would be kicking into the pot $150 million over five years. Given the nationwide need, that is awesome news — full stop. According to Press Forward, approximately 2,200 local newspapers have closed since 2005, which has resulted in 20% ...